Manuel Reyes, a defendant in the infamous 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder case in which 12 young Mexican American men were unjustly convicted of the murder of a Mexican national and served nearly two years in prison before their convictions were reversed, has died. He was 82. Reyes, the former owner of a South Los Angeles taco stand, died of cancer Feb. 5 in the Los Angeles home of his eldest son, Manuel, said Mario Reyes, his youngest son.

Manuel Reyes, a defendant in the infamous 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder case in which 12 young Mexican American men were unjustly convicted of the murder of a Mexican national and served nearly two years in prison before their convictions were reversed, has died. He was 82. Reyes, the former owner of a South Los Angeles taco stand, died of cancer Feb. 5 in the Los Angeles home of his eldest son, Manuel, said Mario Reyes, his youngest son.

Manny Reyes is 71 years old and the owner of a South Los Angeles taco stand. He also happens to be a seminal figure in Mexican American history, although not many people outside his circle of friends and family know this. On Saturday, Reyes sat on a couch in a friend's El Monte home, waiting to be reunited with the men who made history with him, more than 50 years ago, when they became targets of racial prejudice and symbols of injustice.

Manny Reyes is 71 years old and the owner of a South Los Angeles taco stand. He also happens to be a seminal figure in Mexican American history, although not many people outside his circle of friends and family know this. On Saturday, Reyes sat on a couch in a friend's El Monte home, waiting to be reunited with the men who made history with him, more than 50 years ago, when they became targets of racial prejudice and symbols of injustice.

Its name reflected its ambience, and that made what happened there even stranger. Today, the words Sleepy Lagoon are a synonym for injustice and racial hatred. But in 1942, all they suggested was a quiet, rural pond. It also was a swimming hole for young Mexican Americans who weren't allowed to swim at segregated public pools. At night, it served as a lovers' paradise, part of a ranch once known as Rancho la Laguna.

Whenever I cover demonstrations against Police Chief Daryl F. Gates, I notice that the leadership and the participants are mostly African-American. I'm sure you notice it, too, as you watch the events on television that have followed the beating of Rodney G. King, a black motorist, by white police officers. It's true that some major Latino organizations have called for Gates' ouster.

Henry Ynostroza, a defendant in the infamous 1942 "Sleepy Lagoon" murder case in which 12 young Mexican American men were unjustly convicted of the murder of a young Mexican national, has died. He was 82. Ynostroza, a retired warehouse supervisor, died of natural causes Tuesday at a convalescent home in Pasadena, said his daughter, Marie Ruvalcava.

Long Beach attorney George Shibley--who gained national prominence as a defender of several young Latinos in the racially tinged 1940s Sleepy Lagoon murder case and decades later as lawyer for Sirhan Sirhan--died Tuesday at age 79. Shibley's family said he died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles after suffering cardiac arrest June 8 after heart surgery.

Photography Two new exhibitions survey one of the great American photographers in "Walker Evans & Company: Works From the Museum of Modern Art" and "The American Tradition and Walker Evans: Photographs From the Getty Collection," at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Its name reflected its ambience, and that made what happened there even stranger. Today, the words Sleepy Lagoon are a synonym for injustice and racial hatred. But in 1942, all they suggested was a quiet, rural pond. It also was a swimming hole for young Mexican Americans who weren't allowed to swim at segregated public pools. At night, it served as a lovers' paradise, part of a ranch once known as Rancho la Laguna.

Whenever I cover demonstrations against Police Chief Daryl F. Gates, I notice that the leadership and the participants are mostly African-American. I'm sure you notice it, too, as you watch the events on television that have followed the beating of Rodney G. King, a black motorist, by white police officers. It's true that some major Latino organizations have called for Gates' ouster.

We're always hard pressed to come up with an image of our Los Angeles that really works. A large orange doesn't do it. Nor Magic Johnson spinning to the hoop nor a surfin' dude. We are too multifaceted and gridlocked and polyglutted. In trying to make sense out of our community of communities, KCET's "Los Angeles History Project" does pieces of the puzzle one at a time.

Movies Jon Favreau's "Made" features himself, far right, and his "Swingers" co-star Vince Vaughn, center, in a comedy set in New York about two lifelong friends who have different ideas about their futures. With Peter Falk, Famke Janssen, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Faizon Love and Vincent Pastore. Opens Friday at select theaters.